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For all intents and purposes, Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner shouldn’t still be doing what he’s doing.
He shouldn’t still be making the NFL All-Pro Team over a decade into his career. He Shouldn’t still be leading the NFL in tackles. He shouldn’t still be making millions of dollars.
Yet here we are, headed into 2024, and Wagner persists.
It’s one of the biggest reasons why Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon found a spot for Wagner on his 21st Century NFL All-Star Team — one of only two inside linebackers to make the team alongside Pro Football Hall of Famer Ray Lewis.
“It feels odd passing on Luke Kuechly and Patrick Willis, but neither had Wagner’s longevity and neither got a ring,” Gagnon wrote. “They peaked a little higher than Wagner, but only for very short spurts. Still, this is very open for debate.”
Wagner signed a 1-year, $8.5 million contract with the Commanders in March 2024 after leading the NFL with 183 tackles in 2023 and making his 10th NFL All-Pro Team and ninth Pro Bowl.
Following the 2024 season, Wagner will have accumulated $109 million in career earnings.
Wagner Still Dominating at 34 Years Old
Wagner was the only active player on the defense for the 21st Century NFL All-Star Team and one of only three active players selected to the team alongside Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker and Dallas Cowboys guard Zack Martin.
PFF’s John Kosko put Wagner, 34 years old, at No. 15 in his list of the Top 30 NFL Players Over 30 Years Old.
“Wagner remains one of the top linebackers in the NFL, recording a 91.1-plus PFF run-defense grade in each of the past two seasons,” Kosko wrote. “His coverage ability has taken a hit, though, as he’s only graded above 70.0 once in the past five seasons in that facet.”
Dating back 17 seasons to his high school career, Wagner has only had under 100 tackles once, when he had 52 tackles as a true freshman starter at Utah State in 2008.
The Seahawks drafted Wagner in the second round (No. 47 overall) in the 2012 NFL draft and he was a key piece of Seattle’s Super Bowl-winning team in 2013 and their return to the Super Bowl in 2014 – both years playing under then-defensive coordinator and current Commanders head coach Dan Quinn.
Wagner has led the NFL in total tackles three times, solo tackles once, assisted tackles four times, safeties once and fumbles returned for touchdowns once, when he returned 2 fumbles for touchdowns in 2015.
Wagner-Luvu Combo Could Be One of NFL’s Best
Quinn and the Commanders placed a premium on the inside linebacker position in free agency, signing Frankie Luvu away from the Carolina Panthers with a 3-year, $36 million contract to play alongside Wagner.
Together, the two players could be one of the NFL’s most formidable linebacker duos because Luvu, like Wagner, is a tackling machine. After going undrafted out of Washington State in 2018, Luvu spent three seasons with the New York Jets as a primarily special teams player.
Luvu got his chance to be a full-time starter for the first time in 2022 with the Panthers, finishing with 111 tackles in 14 starts. In 2023, he started all 17 games and had a career-high 125 tackles, 5 pass deflections and 2 forced fumbles.
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